Can-filling machine



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

.w. B. PAGE. CAN FILLING MACHINE.

I No. 549,251. Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

7 II J PM w (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. B. PAGE. CAN FILLING MACHINE.

ID1015419251. Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. W,. B; PAGE. CAN FILLING MACHINE.

No. 549,251. V Patented Nov. 5,1895.

7 ANDREW B.GRM1AM. FNOTO-UTHQWASHINGIOMEQ (No' Model) .4 steam-sheet 4.

B. PAGE, CAN FILLING MACHINE.

No. 549,251. Patented Nov. .5, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM 13. PAGE, OF DIXON, ILLINOIS.

CAN-FILLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,251, dated November5, 1895.

' Application filed July 1, 1895. Serial No. 554,517. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. PAGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dixon, county of Lee, State of Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Can- Filling Machines; and Ideclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Heretofore in the use of can-filling machinery some of the diflicultiesencountered have been as follows: The lower cut-off would noteffectually prevent drops from falling on the sides of the can,particularly where a thick substance, such as condensed milk, was beingoperated upon. Again, difficulty has been experienced to so constructthe measuring-receptacle that it would not leak. By a combination ofdevices and appliances my presentinvention overcomes these variousdifficulties and many others and produces a machine which is smooth,simple, and effective in its operation.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts in section, ofmy machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation; Fig. 4, a plan view ofa portion, showing the table on whichthe cans are placed. Fig. 5 is a detail showing in elevation thetable-revolving mechanism. Fig. 6 is a detail in elevation of the lowercut-off.

In carrying out the invention, A represents the drive-shaft of themachine, which may be driven from any suitable source of power. Locatedthereon is a pinion A, which meshes with the gear 13 on the parallelcountershaft B.

O is the main frame of the machine.

D is a head supported by the machineframe, having a hollow chamber D,forming the measuring-receptacle.

D is a cylinder, one end communicating with said receptacle D, and D isa pistonhead working in said cylinder, a pitman D being engaged to saidpiston-head D and the pitman pivoted to the upper end of the lever D,the latter being operated as hereinafter described.

E represents the tube or pipe communicating with the supply of materialupon which the machine isoperating.

The first application of my present machine was for the purpose offilling cans with condensed milk, and I will therefore, for the sake ofillustration, speak of milk as the substance placed in the cans by themachine. Communicating from the pipe E to the receptacle or chamber D isa passage E, and F is what may be termed the cut-01f valve for openingand closing said passage E.

F is the pitman for said valve, the said pitman being pivoted to thelever F which is tilted or operated as hereinafter described.

G is what I may term the lower cut-off. It is a small arm or lever (seeFig. 6) provided with an orifice gand provided with the pin G, thelat-ter being supported by the socket or clamp G said clamp G beingengaged to the nozzle G and said nozzle G engaged by screw-threads orotherwise with the main head D. In order that the portion G may have aproper bearing against the nozzle, I provide on the upper end of the pinG the lock or bearing nut and an intermediate spring g which bearsagainst the supporting-clamp G and thus keeps the cut-off against theend of the nozzle by a constant spring-pressure.

The cut-off G is provided with a segment g, which meshes with therack-bar H, the lat- .ter sliding in the bearings h and connected withthe arm H on the vertical shaft H said shaft H being operated, as willbe hereinafter described, so that a partial revolution of the shaft Hoperates through the bar H and segment g to tilt the cut-off G and throwthe orifice g under or away from the nozzle, as will be hereinafter morefully described.

On the counter-shaft B is a disk J, having on its face a pin or rollerJ. The lever D is fixed to another counter-shaft D and extending fromthis counter-shaft is the fixed lever D which has on its lower end theslotted bearing D which embraces the pin J. It will be observed that theslot D in the arm .or lever is somewhat larger than the diame ter of thepin, for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described. On the faceof the gear B are two cams K K. The lever F (pivoted at f to the mainframe) has its lower end adjacent to the path of said cams K K. A rollerK on said lower end of the arm F directly in the path of said cams, isstruck by them, and this tilts the arm. The roller is thrown in onedirection by the cam K and then back again by the cam K. 011 thecounter-shaft B is another disk M, on the periphery of which are twocams h M A bar N, sliding horizontally in suitable bearings 011 theframe, has a roller m, which terminates in the path of and is struck bythe cams M M the cam M causing the roller to move the bar horizontallyin one direction and the cam M to return it. This bar N is pivoted to anarm N on the lower end of the vertical shaft 11 so that a horizontalmovement of the bar N partially revolves the shaft H and, as abovedescribed, this operates the lower cut off. \Ve thus see that when themain shaft is revolved the counter-shaft B will through the gear 13 alsobe revolved. A revolution of this counter-shaft revolves the disk J,which in turn tilts the lever D, and the main piston D is thus operated.The revolution of the gear 13 causes its cams K K to tilt the arm F andthis operates, as above described, to move the upper cut-off piston Fback and forth to open and cut off the supply of milk to the receptacleD. The revolution of the disk M acts through the cams ill M to move thesliding bar N, and the movement of the latter opcrates the lower cut-offG. On the shaft 13 is also a sprocket-wheel 0, provided with asprocket-chain O, which runs to the forward part of the machine, wherethere is another counter-shaft with a sprocket-wheel 0*. On this shaftis a beveled gear 0 which meshes with the beveled gear 0 on the verticalshaft 0 On the upper end of this shaft 0 is a plateO gof peculiar shape,a portion, as shown in Fig. 4, being crescent or moon shaped, as at 0with a pin O in the concave side. Adjacent to the shaft 0 is anothervertical shaft P, on the upper end of which is a table that carries thecans to be filled.

On the lower end of the shaft P is a plate P, having on its periphery aseries of rounded indentations l? and a series of deeper indentations Pthe shallow and deep indentations alternating with each other, as shownin Fig. 4c. The plate P and the plate 0 are placed in such relation witheach other that arevolution of the shaft 0 and plate 0 will cause thepin 0 to engage in the deep indentations P and revolve the plate P andas soon as the plate P has been moved the proper distance the rounded orcrescent portion 0 will engage in the shallow indentation P and preventa further movement of the plate P until the pin has made anotherrevolution and engaged in the next deep indentation. It will thus beseen that the table P on the upper end of the shaft P is always movedjust sufficiently to carry the next can under the nozzle, and it'is thenheld against further motion by the portion 0 riding in the shallowindentation P until the filling apparatus has completed its work.

The general operation of the machine is as follows: A; quantity of milkis placed in a suitable receptacle above the machine, the pipe E leadingtherefrom down to the hollow head or measuring-receptacle D. The machineis shown with the upper cut-off cutting off the supply, the filling ormain piston about to move forward, and the lower cut-off with theorifice g under the nozzle. It will be observed, as mentioned above,that the bearingslot D 011 the lower end of the arm 1) is larger thanthe pin J, which it engages, so that, while the disk J revolvescontinuously, there is a lost motion for the pin J" at eachhalfrevolution of the disk that is, the arm D remains stationary whilethe pin is traveling across the slot D During this pause in the motionof the main piston D the cut-offs operate. The cams are so arranged thatas the piston D moves backward and reaches the backward end of itsstroke the cam K moves the piston F forward and cuts oil the supply fromthe pipe E. The instant the upper piston has cut off the supply above,the cam M moves the lower cut-off so that the hole 9 is underneath thenozzle. This action of the two cut-offs, one cutting oif above and theother opening up below, takes places while the main piston D isstationary because of the lost motion above mentioned. The piston is nowmoved forward by the pin J and forces the milk in the receptacle D downinto the can below. As the piston reaches the forward end of its strokethere is again a cessation of its movement for an instant, and duringthat time the cam M operates the lower cut-off to move the portion gunder the nozzle, and thus cut off the supply, and immediately this iscompleted the cam K operates to open the uppercutoif, so that thebackward movement or retraction of the piston D draws down a supply ofmilk from the pipe E. The parts are so timed that as soon as the lowercut-off has shut off the supply of milk to the can the pin 0 engages inthe slot P and revolves the table sufficiently to bring the nextsucceeding can under the nozzle and the operation is completed. Inpractice it has been found that frequently a small amount of milk willaccumulate on the lower cut-off, and at each succeeding cut off of thesupply a little more would be added, until a drop was formed su fficientto drop down very often as the can was leaving its position under thenozzle, and the drop would strike the side or top of the can outside theopening. This entails more or less labor in cleaning the cans and is tobe avoided. To accomplish this, I provide the lower face of the cut-offadjacent to the opening with a projection g. (See Fig. 6.) Thisprojection may be either simply a pin or it may be an annular ridge oran elongated ridge. Its ofiice is to engage and hold adjacent to theopening any milk that may leave the main stream, so that when thecut-oif is again T thrown the stream of milk will pick up the drop thatwas left behind by the previous operation and carry it into the can; or,in other words, this projection, being adjacent to the opening, stopsany milk from leaving the stream and getting away from the opening sothat it cannot be picked up by the next stream.

E is a hole leading from the way or cylinder F in which the piston Fworks, up to the pipe E. Its office is as follows: When the piston comesforward and passes the opening or passage E, the space in advance of thepiston will be filled with milk, and there being no outlet for this milkand the pressure on it being enormous it would be either forced outthrough the seams between the plates of the head or else the pistonwould be stopped in its movement. To obviate this, the hole E isprovided, so that as the piston comes forward it will simply press themilk in advance of it back up into the receptacle E. It is of courseobvious that the various parts could be made adjustable. For instance,the point of engagement betweenthe pitman D and the upper end of the armor lever D could be made adjustableas, for instance, by the screw D forthe purpose of adjusting the length of the stroke of the piston D andthus graduating the amount of milk that could.

enter the receptacle D. So, also, the cams for operating the cut-offscould be engaged to their respective disks by slotted engagement, sothat they might be adjusted to regulate the times of operations of thecut-offs. So, also, by making the plate or table P with a removableupper table P having rounded recesses P on the periphery, the machinecould be altered to fit various-sized cans by simply removing this topplate and substituting another with smaller or larger recesses, as thecase may be.

Q is a tightening-pulley for insuring the steady motion of thesprocket-chain, and thus regulating the motion of the table.

R is a guard located immediately above the tops of the cans on the tableand is to prevent a can that has not been placed squarely on the tableand is tilted up, so that its edge is higher than should be, fromstriking against and breaking the nozzle G R is a guard-arm attached tothe stationary portion of the table and projecting from the revolvingtable at such a height as to engage the filled cans as the tablerevolves and switch them off from the revolving table onto thestationary table, where they may be removed by the operator.

It is obvious that while in the above-described machine I have shownonly sufficient apparatus to fill but a single can at a time, yet Imight employ a number of tables and measuring-receptacles D, and, infact, multiply all of the mechanisms indefinitely. So,

' also, there might be two or three measuringreceptacles formed in thesame head, the cutoffs and pistons whereof might be operated by a singleset of driving mechanism, and instead of removing the revolving tablethe space of one can at each operation it might be made to move to bringtwo cans simultaneously under two sets of nozzles. In other words, theparts might be easily duplicated and the capacity of the machine thusmultiplied indefinitely without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

WVhat I claim is- 1. In a can filling machine the combination with astationary receptacle having a passage leading from a source of supplyand a discharge nozzle of a piston for drawing the substance operatedupon into the receptacle and forcing it out thereof, cut offs and meansfor operating the same located on each side of the receptacle to governthe admission to'and the exit from the receptacle and a can carrier forcarrying the cans successively beneath the discharge from thereceptacle, substantially as described.

- 2. In a can filling machine the combination of a stationary measuringreceptacle, cut offs and means for operating the same for regulating theadmission to and eXit from said receptacle and a piston for drawing thesubstance into and forcing it out of the receptacle, said piston engagedwith the power mechanism by intermittently operating mechanism,substantially as described.

3. In a can filling machine the combination with a stationary measuringreceptacle and cut offs and means for operating the same for regulatingthe admission to and exit from said receptacle of the piston for drawingthe substance into and forcing it out from the re ceptacle, said pistonengaged with the power mechanism by an enlarged or slotted engage mentwhereby at regular intervals the piston is stationary while the powermechanism is continuous in its motion, substantially as described.

4. In a can filling machine the combination with the measuringreceptacle and cut oifs of the piston for drawing the substance into andforcing it out from the receptacle, said piston engaged to a leverhaving a slotted end and a revolving disk driven by the power mechanismhaving a pin working in said slotted end, the slot in the lever beinglarger than the diameter of the pin, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the power mechanism, a measuring receptacle, apiston for drawing the substance into and forcing it out from thereceptacle, intermittent connecting mechanism between the piston and thepower mechanism and cut offs for regulating the admission to anddischarge from the measuring receptacle, said out offs connected withthe power mechanism by intermittently operating mechanism substantiallyas described.

6. The combination of a measuring receptacle, cut offs on each side ofthe said receptacle, a piston for filling and emptying said receptacle,a tilting arm or lever to the upper end of which the filling piston isconnected, a tilting arm or lever to which the upper cut off isconnected and a sliding arm or lever to which the lower cut off isconnected, a disk on a driving shaft having a pin whichengages anenlarged slot in the piston lever and thereby intermittently tilts thesame, and cams on disks 011 said shaft to intermittently shift the uppercut off lever and the lower cut off arm or lever, substantially asdescribed.

7. I11 a can filling machine the combination with a shaft as at B of arevolving table, intermittently operating mechanism between said tableand shaft, a measuring receptacle, having a discharge nozzle above thetable, a cut oif above said receptacle, intermittently operatingmechanism between said out off and the driving shaft B a lower cut off,connected by intermittently operating mechanism with the drive shaft,and a filling and discharge piston connected by intermittently operatingmechanism with the drive shaft, substantially as described. 7

8. In a can filling machine the combination with the shaft as at B ofthe revolving table, intermittently operating mechanism between saidtable and shaft, a measuring receptacle having a discharge nozzle abovethe table, a cut oif above said receptacle, intermittently operatingmechanism between said out off and the driving shaft B and lower cut offconnected by intermittently operating mechanism with the drive shaft,and a filling and discharge piston connected by intermittently operating mechanism with the drive shaft, said mechanism so timed that as thefilling and discharge piston reaches its backward movement the upper cutoff will close the inlet within the lower cut off, open the outlet andthen the piston move forward to discharge, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the discharge 11ozzle of a cut off lever pivotedadjacent to the discharge nozzle on a vertical pivot, said leveroperated by a rack bar and segment, substantially as described.

10. In a can filling machine the combination with the discharge nozzleand a lever having on one end a segment meshing with a reciprocatingrack bar and having on the other end an imperforate portion and anorifice, and a projection on the under side of said out off adjacent tothe orifice, substantially as described.

11. In a can filling machine the combination with the disch. rge nozzleand a lever having on one end a segment meshing with a reciprocatingrack bar and having on the other end an imperforate portion and anorifice and an elongated projection on the under side of said out 01fadjacent to the orifice, substantially as described.

12. In a can filling machine the combination with the measuringreceptacle, the supply pipe leading in the said measuring receptacle,and the cut off for cutting off admission to the receptacle of a passageleading from a point in advance of the cut ofif back to the supply pipe,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM .13. PAGE.

\Vitnesses W. H. CHAMBERLIN, FLORENCE EMBREY.

